Apparatus and methods are provided for exploiting the existence of a shortest path between a source device and a destination device by identifying the shortest path and using the signal which has taken the shortest path in preference to delayed transmissions or delayed images of the same signal, thereby improving signal distribution. The present invention provides a processor between a phase-sensitive detector and a low pass filter of a phase locked loop for selecting and driving the PLL primarily from the signal which has taken the shortest path.
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8. A destination device for interconnecting to a network, the network including a source device, the destination device comprising:
a detector comprising:
a data input for receiving signals from the source device;
a control input; and
an output;
a processor comprising:
memory means;
switch means comprising:
a controllable switching terminal coupled to an input of the memory means;
a first switched terminal coupled to the output of the detector; and
a second switched terminal coupled to an output of the memory means; and
comparator means for comparing the level of the output of the detector with a threshold level, the comparator means comprising:
a first input coupled to the output of the detector;
a second input coupled to receive a threshold level; and
an output coupled to control the switching terminal of the switch means;
a low pass filter comprising an input coupled to the switching terminal of the switch means of the processor; and
an oscillator comprising:
an input coupled to receive an output of the low pass filter; and
a signal output coupled to the control input of the detector;
whereby:
when the output of the detector has a level which is less than the threshold level, the output of the detector is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter; and
when the output of the detector has a level which is greater than the threshold level, the output of the memory means is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter.
1. Circuitry for exploiting a shortest path in a system in which a signal may take a plurality of simultaneous paths between a source device and a destination device, comprising:
a detector comprising:
a data input for receiving signals from the source device;
a control input; and
an output;
a processor comprising:
memory means;
switch means comprising:
a controllable switching terminal coupled to an input of the memory means;
a first switched terminal coupled to the output of the detector; and
a second switched terminal coupled to an output of the memory means; and
comparator means for comparing the level of the output of the detector with a threshold level, the comparator means comprising:
a first input coupled to the output of the detector;
a second input coupled to receive a threshold level; and
an output coupled to control the switching terminal of the switch means;
a low pass filter comprising an input coupled to the switching terminal of the switch means of the processor; and
an oscillator comprising:
an input coupled to receive an output of the low pass filter; and
a signal output coupled to the control input of the detector;
whereby:
when the output of the detector has a level which is less than the threshold level, the output of the detector is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter; and
when the output of the detector has a level which is greater than the threshold level, the output of the memory means is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter.
5. A network for transmitting signals among devices, comprising:
a source device;
at least one destination device interconnected with the source device through a plurality of signal paths, each destination device comprising:
a detector comprising:
a data input for receiving signals from the source device;
a control input; and
an output;
a processor comprising:
memory means;
switch means comprising:
a controllable switching terminal coupled to an input of the memory means;
a first switched terminal coupled to the output of the detector; and
a second switched terminal coupled to an output of the memory means; and
comparator means for comparing the level of the output of the detector with a threshold level, the comparator means comprising:
a first input coupled to the output of the detector;
a second input coupled to receive a threshold level; and
an output coupled to control the switching terminal of the switch means;
a low pass filter having an input coupled to the switching terminal of the switch means of the processor; and
an oscillator comprising:
an input coupled to receive an output of the low pass filter; and
a signal output coupled to the control input of the detector;
whereby:
when the output of the detector has a level which is less than the threshold level, the output of the detector is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter; and
when the output of the detector has a level which is greater than the threshold level, the output of the memory means is coupled through the switch means to the input of the low pass filter.
2. The circuitry of
3. The circuitry of
4. The circuitry of
an input coupled to the output of the comparator means; and
an output coupled to transmit the threshold to the second input of the comparator means.
6. The network of
7. The network of
an input coupled to the output of the comparator means; and
an output coupled to transmit the threshold to the second input of the comparator means.
9. The circuitry of
10. The circuitry of
an input coupled to the output of the comparator means; and
an output coupled to transmit the threshold to the second input of the comparator means.
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The present invention relates generally to the field of signal distribution and, in particular, to improved signal reception in a network or other computing environment in which a signal may take several paths to its destination, each path having an associated delay.
In many computing or communications environments, a resource is shared among several or many devices. Numerous devices may be interconnected and various signals are transmitted among the devices. A signal from a source device may be directed to a selected target device. However, because of multiple-path delays or congestion, the signal taken by one path will arrive at the target device at a slightly different time relative to the signal taken by another path or experiencing a different congestion scenario (that is, delays due to other signals having a higher priority). In either situation, a delay variation will exist among the signals. As illustrated schematically in
One network architecture which has been developed by the Peak Audio division of Cirrus Logic, Inc. is an audio network marketed under the name CobraNet™. CobraNet technology allows uncompressed, real-time, single- or multiple-channel digital audio, clocking and control data to be transmitted over an Ethernet network. Audio sources, signal processing, amplification and sound projection may be distributed throughout a facility, all interconnected by Ethernet CAT-5 or optical cabling. Thus, any (single or multiple) audio input may be routed to any (single or multiple) audio output with each input and each output being capable of being processed and amplified individually. It will be appreciated that accurate clocking of signals being transmitted over a CobraNet-enabled network (or other like environment) is important in order to reduce disturbances caused by jitter which may degrade the performance of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and produce stereo imaging problems.
One existing method for detecting and processing a signal in a destination device is to use a phase locked loop (PLL).
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for exploiting the existence of a shortest path between a source device and a destination device by identifying the shortest path and using the signal which has taken the shortest path in preference to delayed transmissions or delayed images of the same signal, thereby improving signal to noise ration seen by a PLL. The present invention provides a processor between a phase-sensitive detector and a low pass filter of a phase locked loop. In one embodiment, the processor includes a scaler, such as an exponential scaler, providing asymmetrical error weighting to enhance the contribution of signals with a smaller delay (shorter path).
In a second embodiment, the processor further includes a self-adjusting threshold to prevent the PLL from free running in the “masked” state for an extended period of time. When the PLL is operating normally, the threshold level is gradually increased, thus decreasing the width of the mask, until many errors are ignored and only a fixed percentage of the lowest delay signals from the detector are passed to the low pass filter to enable the PLL to regain lock.
In further embodiments, methods for processing a signal are provided to exploit the presence of a shortest path.
The objects of the invention have been fully realized through the embodiments disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various aspects of the invention may be achieved through different embodiments without departing from the essential function of the invention. Moreover, the present invention may be incorporated in environments other than the network described herein. For example, the present invention may be incorporated in microprocessing environments involving timestamps, software clocking and IRQs, and in general communications systems to improve the accuracy of synchronous-isochronous-synchronous conversions, and in wireless transmission systems to mitigate multipath and reflection issues. The particular embodiments are illustrative and not meant to limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
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